Material handling apparatus



May 17, 1960 Filed July 7, 1958 A. H. SHAW MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 n I! E lf; 4 -14- 41" I: .7 i 17 M g 55 at b 11 I i J i Y INVENTOR.

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May 17, 1960 A. H. SHAW MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 7, 1958 INVENTOR. AecH/A- H SHAW .ov v

Arrow IVE/5'- May 17, 1960 A. H. SHAW MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed July 7, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 11- INVENTOR.

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United States Patent MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Archie H. Shaw, La Habra, Calif.

Application July 7, 1958, Serial No. 747,064

9 Claims. (Cl. 214-75) The present invention relates to material handling apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for loading refuse and the like in the body portion of a vehicle.

An object of the invention is to provide refuse loading apparatus capable of loading refuse in a vehicle in a comparatively rapid and easy manner;

Another object of the invention is to provide a refuse loading vehicle capable of being operated by a single person, who not only drives the vehicle but can collect the refuse and effect its loading into the vehicle, all in a rapid and expedient manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide refuse loading apparatus which is comparatively simple, strong and sturdy, and easy to operate.

An additional object of the invention is to provide refuse loading apparatus embodying a movable hopper for conveying and dropping its contents into the top of the apparatus, the hopper being inverted in being lifted from a position adjacent the ground to the top of the apparatus, automatically closed during such lifting operation to prevent premature dumping of the contents, and automatically opened at the top of the apparatus to effect the dumping of its contents.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a refuse collecting and loading vehicle embodying a closure device for the movable hopper portion of the apparatus, which device is automatically shifted between open and closed positions across the hopper at the appropriate periods in the cycle of its operation.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of a form in which it may be embodied. This form is shown in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. It will now be described in detail, for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that such detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a refuse collecting vehicle embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an'enlarged section taken along the line 22 on Fig. 1, with the loading bucket or hopper disposed in its uppermost position; I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2, on a further enlarged scale, illustrating the loading bucket or hopper near its lower position along the vehicle;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken generally along the line 4-4 on Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken generally along the line 5-5 on Fig. 2;

' Fig. 6 is an enlarged view corresponding to Fig. 4 of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken generally along the line 77 on Fig. 1.

The apparatus disclosed in the drawings is designed specifically for collecting refuse or rubbish, such as set.

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out by householders along the curb of the street or the side of a road. The driver of the vehicle can dump the contents of different types of containers into the receptacle or hopper portion 10 of the apparatus which is then lifted and dumped into its upper portion, after which the hopper can be relowered to receive the next load of rubbish.

The vehicle includes a suitable chassis 11 and ground engaging wheels 12. A suitable cab 13 is provided at the forward end for the driver of the vehicle and the operator of the loading apparatus, who may be the same person. Mounted upon the chassis 11 is a collector body or container 14 in the form of a cylinder, the forward portion of which is adjacent the motor vehicle cab 13. The rubbish or other substances are dumped into an opening 15 at the upper forward portion of the collector body, which may then be compressed toward the rear of the body by a suitable ram mechanism (not shown) which forms no part of the present invention and which, for that reason,

is not illustrated.

, The hopper 10 is pivotally mounted on a suitable carriage structure 16 adapted to be shifted from a lower position, in which the hopper is adjacent the ground, to an upper position in which the hopper or bucket 10 is inverted and is disposed over the opening 15 in the truck body 14, to dump its contents therethrough into the body. The carriage 16 and hopper 10 are moved around the periphery of the body 14 on a pair of opposed arcuate longitudinally spaced guide rails 17, 17. These guide rails may be of generally angle or L-shaped cross-section uniformly spaced from each other, and disposed arcuately in,

advance of, along, and to the rear of the upper opening 15 in the body. The horizontal flanges 18 of the guide rails extend toward each other and the vertical depending flanges 19 engage the periphery of the cylindrical body 14 and are suitably secured thereto, as through the use of welding material 20. The arcuate guide rails 17 extend around the body from a lower region adjacent the chasis 11 to an upper region beyond the opening 15.

An upper, inner corner of the hopper 10, or end adjacent its opening 15, is pivotally mounted on an end portion of the carriage structure 16. This carriage structure 16 includes arcuate side frame members 21 between the guide rail members 17 and adjacent thereto. The lower side frame members 21 at one of the their ends are secured together by a cross structure 22 including brackets 23 secured to the side members in any suitable manner, as by means of screws 24, a tubular member 25, which may be a length of pipe, extending between these brackets 23 andbeing welded, or otherwise suitably secured, thereto.

, The corner portion of the hopper or bucket 10 adjacent members 21, as by means of welding material 31 or screws 32, or both. The carriage 16 itself is rollable along the arcuate guide rails 17 by means of inner and outer rollers 33, 34 engaging the inner and outer sides of the horizontal flanges 18 of the guide rails, the rollers being I suitably mounted on bearing supports 35, such as bolts and screws, secured to the side members 21 of the carriage and to the cross structures 22, 28 secured to the end poroutward radial movement of the carriage relative to the guide rails and the collector body or container 14. T01."

prevent axial movement of the carriage 16, side rollers 36 are mounted on bearing supports 37 secured to brackets 38 suitably attached to the side members 21 of the carriage, as by means of the screws 24, these side rollers engaging the outer surfaces of the vertical flanges19 of the rails 17. The fact that the side rollers 36 are mounted at opposite ends of the side frame, members 21 of the carriage will insure against any significant axial movement of the carriage along the body 14 of the rubbish collecting apparatus.

The hopper or bucket 16 is swingable about its pivot axis from an inward position adjacent the carriage 16 to an outward position. Such swinging of the bucket can be accomplished as by use of a hydraulic operating unit 39. As disclosed, a hydraulic cylinder 46 is pivotally mounted to one of the side frame members 21 and has a piston 41 therein pivotally attached to one side of the bucket 10. Fluid under pressure can be conducted to and exhausted from the ends of the cylinder 40 through the lines 42, in order to effect a retraction of the piston 41 within the cylinder or an extension of the piston from the cylinder. When the piston 41 is retracted within the cylinder 40, the hopper 1G is swung about its pivot 25 inwardly toward the carriage 16. Conversely, extension of the piston with respect to the cylinder will swing the hopper about its pivot axis in an outward direction.

The inner, open end 43 of the hopper is arcuate in shape, so as to conform to the curvature of the carriage 16. When swung inwardly toward the carriage, such inner end 43 of the hopper or bucket is adapted to be closed by a flexible closing device 44, which, however, is automatically removed from its closed relation when the carriage 16 and the hopper are conveyed from a lower position along the vehicle to an upper position with the open end 26 of the bucket disposed over the truck body opening 15.

As shown, the closer 44 for the open end of the bucket may consist of a flexible flat belt of a width at'least sufiicient to extend across the sides 50 of the bucket or hopper and of a length to cover the full arcuate extent of its opening 26 from its pivot portion 27 to the opposite end wall 51 of the bucket. One end of this closer belt 44 is secured to the bucket or hopper 19 at its pivot region 27, as by means of screws 52 extending through the belt and threadedly attached to the outer tubular member 27'. When the bucket 10 is in its lower position, the belt 44 extends over a set of outer guide rollers 53 rotatable on hearing shafts 54 mounted in brackets 55 suitably secured to the collector body 14, as by welding. The brackets 55 for each roller 53 are longitudinally spaced from one another and are disposed immediately within the path of travel of the side portions 21, 23, 30 of the carriage 16. Such rollers and brackets are disposed arcuately along the cylindrical container 14 to a region below but adjacent the end of the opening in the container. The belt 44 passes around the outer set of rollers 53 and thence around an upper roller 56 r0 tatably mounted on a transverse shaft 57 secured to spaced brackets 58 welded or otherwise secured to the body 14 of the vehicle adjacent the opening 15.. The belt 44 is then adapted to pass from such roller 56 around an inner set of rollers 59 that are spaced arcuately along the exterior of the tank, the rollers 59 also being rotatably carried on shafts 69 secured to brackets 61 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the arcuate periphery of the cylindrical container 14.

As stated above, one end of the belt 44 is fixed to the outer corner tube 27 secured to the bucket or hopper 10. It passes around the outer set of rollers 53, around the upper roller 56, and then around'the inner set of rollers 59. From the inner rollers, the belt passes around a lower idler roller 65 suitably rotatably mounted on a shaft 66' secured to spaced brackets 67 welded to the exterior of the cylindrical container 14. The other end of the belt is attached to the end wall '68 of the bucket to which the tube 27 is secured. by bolts 69.

When the hopper 10 and the carriage 16 are in the upper position, such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, then the belt 44 passes from the outer tube 27 of the bucket around the hopper arcuate roller 56, then along the inner set of rollers 59 around the lower idle roller 65, and along the outer rollers 53. When the bucket or hopper 10 is in the inverted position over the opening, as disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 7, the belt 44 is completely removed from the arcuate open end 26 of the hopper. However, as the bucket 10 and carriage 16 are moved downwardly around the rails 17, the end 44a of the belt secured to the outer tube 27 of the hopper will move downwardly and the belt 44 will be fed across the opening 26, the belt moving around the outer idle rollers 53, the other run of the belt feeding along the idle rollers 53, around the lower idle roller 65, then around the inner set of idle rollers 59 and around the upper idle roller 56. Since the hydraulic device 39 holds the loading bucket 16 inwardly adjacent the carriage 16, the arcuate or curved opening 26 of the bucket is closed by the belt 44 as the bucket or hopper is lowered toward the ground, the belt remaining across such opening 26.

The carriage 16 is shiftable along the rails 17 between a position in which the outer tube 27 of the bucket is adjacent the upper idle roller 56 (Fig. 2) and a position in which the outer tube is adjacent the lower idle roller 65 (Fig. 3). When in this last-mentioned position, the bucket 10 is still disposed against the belt closure 44, being held thereagainst by the hydraulic operating device 39. However, such device can be manipulated to cause the piston 41 to shift in a direction outwardly of the cylinder 40, rocking the bucket 16 about its pivot 25 toward a generally horizontal position adjacent the ground (broken line position of Fig. 3). During this downward movement, the arcuate open end 26 of the bucket is moved away from the belt 14, placing it in an open position. When disposed in this position, material, such as rubbish, can be dumped into the bucket 10, after which the piston 41 is caused to retract in the cylinder 40 to pivot the bucket back up against the belt closure 44 (Fig. 3), whereupon the carriage can be elevated and shifted along the rails 17, carrying the bucket 10 upwardly with it. During such upwardshifting, the belt 44 feeds around the idle rollers 53, 56, 59,65, and when the upper end of the bucket passes the upper idle roller 56, the belt is peeled therefrom and is moved reversely around such roller 56, to progressively remove the belt from the arcuate end 26 of the bucket, effecting its opening. At this time, however, the bucket 10 is in an inverted position over the opening 15 of the truck body, such that the contents of the bucket are dumped through the opening into the body or container 14. When the carriage 16 and bucket 10 are in their uppermost position, such as disclosedin Figs. 1, 2 and 7, the arcuate end 26 of the inverted hopper has been fully openedsothat all material therein will drop by gravity through the opening 15 into the collector body 14.

As the carriage 16 with the hopper 10' thereagainst is moved down around the cylindrical truck'body 14, such downward movement is accompanied by areverse feeding of the ,belt 44 around the idler rollers, the belt then being positioned across the arcuate opening 26 of the bucket to re-close the same. When the carriage and hopper pivotally carried thereby are disposed in the lower position, such as shown in fulllines in Fig. 3 and correspondingbroken lines in Fig. 2, the hydraulic mechanism 39 can again be manipulated to swing the bucket 10 about its pivot 25 on the carriage away from the belt 44 to the riage 16 will convey the bucket 10 upwardly around the cylindrical body 14 to the opening v15, where the flexible belt closure 44 is peeled away from the entrance opening 26 of the bucket, permitting the contents of the inverted bucket to dump into the truck body.

As disclosed in the drawings, a hydraulic mechanism 80 may be employed for moving the carriage 16 and the bucket arcuately along the guide rails 17. The cylinder 81 ofthis hydraulic mechanism is pivotally supported on the chassis 11 adjacent the end of the body 14, a piston 82 being shiftable longitudinally in this cylinder and being pin-connected to a bracket 83 attached to an actuating arm 84 pivotally mounted on the truck body 14 about the axis of the latter. The actuating or operating arm 84 extends radially from its pivot support to a position adjacent the carriage 16 where an axial projection or rod portion 85 of the arm is connected to the carriage 16, preferably through the agency of a flexible connection 86, such as a short length of chain, one end of which is secured to a suitable eye 87, fixed to the arm projection 85, and the other end of which is attached to a lug 88 secured to the bracket 23 carrying the inner pipe 25 on which the bucket 10 isv pivotally mounted. Actuating fluid is conducted to and from the ends of the cylinder 81 through the lines 90.

To place the parts in the position disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, fluid under pressure has forced the piston 82 outwardly in order to elevate the'carriage 16 and bucket 10. Retraction of the piston 82 within the cylinder 81 will efiect a swinging of the operating arm 84 about the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body 14 to pullthrough the chain 86 on the carriage 16 and move it and the bucket downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3. As stated above, with the bucket and carriage in this position, the other hydraulic mechanism 39 can be manipulated to swing the bucket 10 down toward its position adjacent the ground and away from the belt closure 44. When the bucket is again swung upwardly against the belt closure 44 from the lower position, fluid is again let into the lower end of the cylinder 81 to project the piston 82 outwardly and swing the operating arm 84 in an upward direction about the axis of the cylindrical body, which will convey the carriage 16 and the bucket 10 to its uppermost position disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2.

Instead of a full length of belt 44 being used in the apparatus, in the interest of economy, only a suflicient length of belt 44 need be employed as to cover the opening 26 into the bucket 10. The remainder of the flexible connection may be provided by straps or cables 44b attached to the free end of the belt closure and to the.

end wall 68 of the bucket. The making of the flexible member or line 44 of a composite nature, consisting of of a flat belt portion, which serves to close the bucket 10, and of the strap or cable portion 44b, does not aflect the operation of the device, since the flat belt portion and the cable or strap portion will still pass collectively around the idle rollers in the same manner as if the entire flexible device were made as a flat belt.

The apparatus illustrated and described can be handled by a single person who will stop the vehicle adjacent a load of rubbish, manipulate the hydraulic mechanism 39 to swing the bucket 10 to its position adjacent the ground. He can then dump the rubbish into the open bucket 10, effect a manipulation of the hydraulic mechanism 39 to tilt the bucket back against the flexible closure 44, and then elfect operation of the carriage and hopper actuating mechanism 80 to S8 to move the carriage and bucket to their upper position, in which the bucket 10 is inverted and its opening eflected automatically by stripping away the belt, to dump its contents through the truck body opening to the interior thereof. At any desired time, the bucket and carriage can be relowered through suitable actuation of the hydraulic carriage and hopper shifting mechanism 80 to 88 to the position illustrated in Fig. 3. The operator can then re-enter the cab 13 and drive the vehicle to: the next loading location, repeating the foretacle from a lower position adjacent said body in which said receptacle opening faces upwardly to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted over said body opening and said receptacle opening faces downwardly; a closure for the receptacle opening removed from said opening when said opening faces upwardly to permit material to be deposited into said receptacle; means for relatively moving said receptacle and closure to place said closure across said receptacle opening prior to movement of said receptacle to said substantially inverted POSI- tion; and means responsive to movement of said receptacle to said substantially inverted position for shifting said closure from said receptacle opening.

2. In apparatus for handling material: a vehicle having a body provided with an opening in its upper portion; a carrier; a receptacle mounted on said carrier and having an opening through which material is deposited into said receptacle; means for conveying said carrier and receptacle from a lower position adjacent said body to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted over said body opening; a closure for the receptacle opening; and means responsive to movement of said receptacle for placing said closure across said receptacle opening when the receptacle is removed from said body'opening and for withdrawing said closure from said receptacle opening when the receptacle 1s in said substantially inverted position.

3. In apparatus for handling material: a vehicle hav- 7 ing a body provided with an opening in its upper portion;

a carrier; a receptacle mounted on said carrier and having an opening through which material is deposited into said receptacle; means for conveying said carrier and receptacle from" a lower-position adjacent said body in which said receptacle opening faces upwardly to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted over said body opening and said receptacle opening faces downwardly; a flexible closure for the receptacle opening removed from said opening whensaid opening faces upwardly to permit material to be deposited into said receptacle; means for relatively moving said receptacle and closure to place said closure across said receptacle opening prior to movement of said receptacle to said substantially inverted position; and means for progressively removing said closure from said receptacle opening as said receptacle is moved across said body openmg.

4. In apparatus for handling material: a vehicle having a body provided with an opening in its upper portion; a carrier; a receptacle mounted on said carrier and having an opening through which material is deposited into said receptacle; means for conveying said carrier and receptacle from a lower position adjacent said body to an upperposition in which said receptacle is substantially inverted over said body opening; a flexible closure for the receptacle opening; and means responsive to movement of said receptacle along said body for progressively moving said closure from said receptacle opening as said receptacle is moved across said body opening and for said carrier and receptacle along said guide means from a lower position to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted and disposed over said opening; means for pivoting said receptacle on said carrier towards and away from said closure; and means for removing said closure from said receptacle as said receptacle moves across said body opening.

6. In apparatus for handling material: a vehicle having a generally cylindrical body provided with an opening in its upper portion; a carrier; a receptacle pivotally mounted on said carrier and having an opening; a guide on said body; flexible closure means for the receptacle opening; closure guide means for said closure on said body and being disposed adjacent said body opening and a lower portion of said body, said closure means being secured at one end to said receptacle and passing around said closure guide means and having its other end secured to said receptacle; means for pivoting said receptacle on said carrier towards and away from said closure means; and means, for moving said carrier and receptacle along said guide from a lower position to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted and disposed over said opening.

7. In apparatus for handling material: a vehicle having a generally cylindrical body provided with an opening in its upper portion; a carrier; a receptacle pivotally mounted on said carrier and having an opening; a guide on said body; flexible closure means for the receptacle opening; rollers carried by said body; one of said rollers being adjacent said body opening and another of said rollers being adjacent the lower portion of said body; said closure means being secured at its ends to said receptacle and passing around said rollers; means for pivoting said receptacle on its carrier toward and away from said closure; and means for moving said carrier and receptacle along said guide from a lower position to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted and disposed over said opening.

8. In apparatus for handling material: a vehicle having a generally cylindrical body provided with an opening in its upper portion; a carrier; a receptacle mounted on said carrier and having an opening; a guide on said body; flexible closure means for the receptacle opening; closure guide means for said closure on said body and being disposed adjacent said body opening and a lower portion of said body; said closure means being secured at its ends to said receptacle and passing around said closure guide means; means for moving said receptacle on said carrier toward and away from said closure means; and means for moving said carrier and receptacle along said guide from a lower position to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted and disposed over said opening.

9. In apparatus for handling material: a vehicle having a generally cylindrical body provided with an opening in its upper portion; a carrier; a receptacle mounted on said carrier and having an opening; a guide on said body; flexible closure means for the receptacle opening; rollers carried by said body, one of said rollers being adjacent said body opening and another of said rollers being adjacent the lower portion of said body, said closure means being secured at its ends to said receptacle and passing around said rollers; means for moving said receptacle on said carrier toward and away from said closure means; and means for moving said carrier and receptacle along said guide from a lower position to an upper position in which said receptacle is substantially inverted and disposed over said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,109,440 Villerup Feb. 22, 1938 2,540,766 Stilwell et al. m Feb. 6, 1951 2,624,478 Kaplan Ian. 6, 1953 

